WASHINGTON -- United States Senators Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., today filed legislation aimed at initiating a recall and imposing an immediate ban on defective building products from China. The bill was introduced in response to potential problems with imported drywall used in Florida and Louisiana homes. Reports indicate that this sulfur-emitting drywall smells of rotten eggs, destroys residential wiring and appliances, and poses potential health risks.

The centerpiece of their legislation is a resolution pressing the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a recall on Chinese-made drywall, based in part on findings by a Florida homebuilder and state officials who have confirmed the presence of sulfide gases in homes built with the drywall. The Nelson-Landrieu legislation also asks the CPSC to work with federal testing labs and the Environmental Protection Agency to determine the level of hazard posed by certain chemicals and as yet unidentified organic compounds in the drywall. In addition, the legislation calls on the commission to issue an interim ban on imports until it can review federal drywall safety standards to ensure that consumers are protected in the future.

"This defective Chinese drywall represents an attack on our homeowners, a defrauding of our homebuilders and another obstacle on our road to recovery," Sen. Landrieu said. "The Consumer Product Safety Commission should have been the first line of defense in preventing this inferior product from entering the U.S. market in the first place.

"The federal government now has a responsibility to assess the full scope of the problem and immediately prohibit further importation," she said. "We also need to help our struggling homeowners with the repair costs that will be necessary to rid their homes of this toxic product."

"I believe we're going to see this is widespread," Sen. Nelson said, noting that during a recent three-to five-year period drywall from China arrived at ports around the country, including 60 million pounds in Louisiana and 27 million pounds in Mississippi. Since 2006, more than 550 million pounds of drywall have been imported to the U.S. from China, enough to make tens of thousands of homes.

"Anytime you have mounting evidence of potentially toxic goods you have an obligation to act quickly to protect consumers," said Sen. Nelson, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee which oversees the CPSC.

The potential scope of the problem is huge. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the devastating flooding that followed damaged more than 1.2 million units of housing, with more than 309,000 of those units sustaining major or severe damage. While Florida has received 60 percent of imported Chinese drywall since 2006, Louisiana is the second highest recipient. Louisiana has received 60.2 million pounds of imported Chinese drywall, and it may have been used in an estimated 7,000 homes in Louisiana. All told, it is believed that between 60,000 and 100,000 homes nationwide may contain potentially defective drywall. Besides Florida and Louisiana, problems also have been reported in the press in Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and California.

Sens. Nelson and Landrieu said they are pressing the CPSC for a recall in hopes of jump-starting a process for helping affected homeowners with the costs of repairs or replacement, which under their legislation would be the responsibility of the Chinese manufacturers. Such a process would also provide clarity to businesses in the construction and homebuilding sectors, key industries along the Gulf Coast.

A number of homeowners have filed lawsuits, and home builders are suing the manufacturers of the drywall. Homeowner lawsuits contend the drywall has caused damage to the home, that the drywall itself must be replaced and, in some cases, that residents have suffered adverse health effects such as asthma as a result of exposure.